Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2008

EF2 tornado, Bunch to Lincoln, Oklahoma, April 10, 2008

Name: EF2 tornado, Bunch to Lincoln, Oklahoma, April 10, 2008
Start: 2008-04-10T10:26:00.000Z
End: 2008-04-10T10:33:00.000Z
Location: Bunch to Lincoln, Oklahoma

From Bunch to Lincoln, this EF2 tornado ran 9.0 miles across Adair and Washington counties on April 10, 2008, touching down at 5:26 AM CDT and reaching 400 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $125,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mphthis tornado
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating: EF2
Date: April 10, 2008
Touchdown: 5:26 AM CDT (10:26 UTC)
Lifted: 5:33 AM CDT (10:33 UTC)
On the ground: 7 minutes
Path length: 9.0 miles (14.5 km)
Path width: 400 yards (366 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $125,000
Counties: Adair and Washington counties
Touchdown point: 35.789, -94.539
Lift-off point: 35.909, -94.471
Record number: 0804100426-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Severe thunderstorms occurred across eastern Oklahoma from the evening of the 9th into the morning of the 10th.

Severe thunderstorms occurred across Northwest Arkansas during the evening and early morning hours on the 9th and 10th.

An NWS storm survey determined that a strong tornado destroyed several mobile homes, caused extensive tree damage, destroyed barns and other outbuildings, and snapped power poles.

An NWS storm survey determined that a strong tornado destroyed a mobile home, caused extensive tree damage, and snapped power poles. This tornado continued into Washington County Arkansas, lifting about 4 miles southwest of Lincoln.

The strong tornado that began 5.5 miles east-southeast of Stillwell in Adair County Oklahoma moved into Washington County. The tornado destroyed a mobile home, destroyed a barn, rolled a vehicle, caused extensive tree damage, and snapped power poles.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Apr 10, 4:14 AM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 10, 4:14 AM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
414 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

.MESOSCALE UPDATE...
THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
EASTERN OKLAHOMA HAS BEGUN TO
BECOME MORE ORGANIZED AND WE HAVE
RECEIVED WIND GUST REPORTS FROM
PITTSBURG COUNTY BETWEEN 60 AND 71 MPH.

STRONG LOW AND MID-LEVEL WINDS COMBINED
WITH SOME DESTABILIZATION AHEAD OF THE
LINE DUE TO LOW-LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION
WILL RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE
THREAT WITH THESE STORMS.  VERY STRONG
LOW-LEVEL SHEAR WILL ALSO PROMOTE
MESOCYCLONE DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE LINE
WITH AN ASSOCIATED TORNADO THREAT.

&&

.TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM THURSDAY FOR OKZ049-OKZ053-OKZ054-
     OKZ055-OKZ056-OKZ057-OKZ058-OKZ059-OKZ060-OKZ061-OKZ062-
     OKZ063-OKZ064-OKZ065-OKZ066-OKZ067-OKZ068-OKZ069-OKZ070-
     OKZ071-OKZ072-OKZ073-OKZ074-OKZ075-OKZ076.

AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM THURSDAY FOR ARZ001-ARZ002-ARZ010-
     ARZ011-ARZ019-ARZ020-ARZ029.

&&

SHORT TERM...08
LONG TERM....99

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 10, 4:50 AM CDT, 36 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
450 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-111000-
ADAIR OK-BENTON AR-CARROLL AR-CHEROKEE OK-CHOCTAW OK-CRAIG OK-
CRAWFORD AR-CREEK OK-DELAWARE OK-FRANKLIN AR-HASKELL OK-LATIMER OK-
LE FLORE OK-MADISON AR-MAYES OK-MCINTOSH OK-MUSKOGEE OK-NOWATA OK-
OKFUSKEE OK-OKMULGEE OK-OSAGE OK-OTTAWA OK-PAWNEE OK-PITTSBURG OK-
PUSHMATAHA OK-ROGERS OK-SEBASTIAN AR-SEQUOYAH OK-TULSA OK-WAGONER OK-
WASHINGTON OK-WASHINGTON AR-
450 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

...SEVERE WEATHER AND FLOODING RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING...

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
TORNADO.
	RISK...LIMITED.
	AREA...NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
	RISK...SIGNIFICANT.
	AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

	AREA AT GREATEST RISK...NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

FLASH FLOOD.
	RISK...SIGNIFICANT.
	AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

	AREA AT GREATEST RISK...EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

SIGNIFICANT WINDS.
	RISK...LIMITED.
	AREA...NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.
	ONSET...THIS AFTERNOON.

DISCUSSION...
A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS ACCELERATING ACROSS
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN ARKANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING. STRONG
DAMAGING WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS LINE OF STORMS INTO THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS. STRONG LOW-LEVEL SHEAR ALONG THE EDGE OF
THUNDERSTORMS AND THE RETREATING WARM FRONT WILL RESULT IN A SMALL
TORNADO THREAT WITH THE LINE OF STORMS. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT
SHOULD END BY MID-MORNING.

IT REMAINS UNCERTAIN HOW FAR EAST THE DRYLINE WILL MIX BY THIS
AFTERNOON. REDEVELOP OF THUNDERSTORMS...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR
SEVERE WEATHER...IS POSSIBLE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON. THE MOST LIKELY AREA
FOR THIS TO OCCUR WILL BE ACROSS WESTERN ARKANSAS.

IN ADDITION...WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE INTO THE
MORNING. MUCH OF THE AREA HAS RECEIVED BETWEEN 2 AND 4 INCHES OF
RAINFALL OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS...AND AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES
WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE MID-MORNING. SIGNIFICANT RIVER FLOODING
WILL CONTINUE OVER PARTS OF THE REGION AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH
REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH TODAY.

CLEARING SKIES BEHIND THE DRYLINE WILL RESULT IN STRONG ATMOSPHERIC
MIXING BY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS DEVELOPING
ACROSS PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...NO HAZARDS.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION...
A PERIOD OF QUIET WEATHER IS ON TAP FOR THE WEEKEND AND MUCH OF NEXT
WEEK. A LIGHT FREEZE MAY BE POSSIBLE ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHEAST
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SUNDAY MORNING.

WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL TABULAR AND GRAPHICAL
INFORMATION.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 10, 3:59 AM CDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
359 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0350 AM     TSTM WND GST     7 N ASHLAND             34.87N 96.07W
04/10/2008  M64 MPH          PITTSBURG          OK   MESONET

&&

SFP

Local storm report, Apr 10, 4:04 AM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
404 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0350 AM     TSTM WND GST     MCALESTER               34.93N 95.77W
04/10/2008  M71.00 MPH       PITTSBURG          OK   ASOS

&&

SFP

Special weather statement, Apr 10, 4:40 AM CDT, 46 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
440 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

OKZ062-067-101045-
MAYES OK-WAGONER OK-
440 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 545 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
     EASTERN WAGONER AND MAYES

AT 440 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A
LINE EXTENDING FROM PRYOR TO PORTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
WAGONER...CHOSKA...TULLAHASSEE...PORTER...OKAY...REDBIRD...PRYOR...
MAZIE...MURPHY...CHOUTEAU...LOCUST GROVE...ROSE...SALINA...
SPAVINAW...STRANG...ADAIR...PENSACOLA AND LANGLEY.

THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS
TO 50 MPH.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 44 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 270 AND 278.

LAT...LON 3619 9503 3616 9511 3608 9511 3608 9520
      3598 9528 3589 9525 3583 9530 3577 9562
      3580 9564 3608 9553 3608 9545 3632 9543
      3651 9536 3652 9503
TIME...MOT...LOC 0940Z 241DEG 38KT 3633 9528 3590 9550

Local storm report, Apr 10, 4:54 AM CDT, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
454 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0449 AM     TSTM WND GST     MUSKOGEE                35.75N 95.37W
04/10/2008  M68 MPH          MUSKOGEE           OK   ASOS

&&

SFP

Special weather statement, Apr 10, 5:02 AM CDT, 24 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
502 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

ARZ001-OKZ063-101100-
BENTON AR-DELAWARE OK-
502 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
     WESTERN BENTON

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
     DELAWARE

AT 502 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A
LINE EXTENDING FROM 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF MAYSVILLE TO 2 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF LEACH...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT
WILL BE AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE...JAY...LEACH...TWIN OAKS...
KANSAS...COLCORD...CHLOETA...ZENA...CLEORA...GROVE...BERNICE...WEST
SILOAM SPRINGS...FAIRMOUNT...SILOAM SPRINGS...SULPHUR SPRINGS...
GENTRY...MAYSVILLE...GRAVETTE...GALLITIN...SPRINGTOWN...CHEROKEE CITY
AND DECATUR.

THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS
TO 50 MPH.

LAT...LON 3655 9460 3650 9460 3650 9445 3648 9438
      3614 9442 3615 9456 3617 9457 3618 9500
      3621 9502 3668 9499
TIME...MOT...LOC 1002Z 206DEG 44KT 3649 9464 3621 9492

Special weather statement, Apr 10, 5:22 AM CDT, 4 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
522 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

ARZ001-101115-
BENTON AR-
522 AM CDT THU APR 10 2008

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 615 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...

IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
     BENTON

AT 522 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A
LINE EXTENDING FROM 4 MILES NORTH OF HIGHFILL TO 15 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF GALLITIN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE
AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE...WALNUT HILL...ROCKY COMFORT...
FAIRMOUNT...BLAND...MILLER...HILL TOP...BENTONVILLE...ROGERS...
SULPHUR SPRINGS...LOWELL...GENTRY...GRAVETTE...PEA RIDGE...GATEWAY...
GALLITIN...HEALING SPRINGS...SPRINGTOWN...HIGHFILL...CAVE SPRINGS...
WAR EAGLE...MONTE NE...LOOKOUT...VAUGHN...LARUE...DECATUR...
CENTERTON...AVOCA...HIWASSE...BELLA VISTA...GARFIELD AND BEAVER LAKE.

THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS
TO 50 MPH.

LAT...LON 3650 9385 3625 9386 3621 9433 3614 9436
      3614 9437 3611 9439 3609 9452 3611 9454
      3649 9447
TIME...MOT...LOC 1022Z 208DEG 35KT 3634 9436 3612 9466

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 00:00Z

10.4 hours before the tornado, 133 km from the path. April 10, 2008.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -101652 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 615 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 315 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 393 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 4.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z

1.6 hours after it, 133 km from the path. April 10, 2008.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 8 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -187 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 466 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 205 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 4.2 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Fayetteville/Drake (FYV), 35 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)	Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 10:24 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2008 tornado in Oklahoma Every tornado in Oklahoma since 1950 Warnings in force in Oklahoma now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 10, 2008

32 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
April 10	1:35 AM CDT	EF1	Brown, TX	1.5	125		$150,000
April 10	3:03 AM CDT	EF1	Somervell, TX	7.6	75		$200,000
April 10	3:30 AM CDT	EF1	Johnson, TX	2.9	50		$25 million
April 10	4:00 AM CDT	EF1	Dallas, TX	2.0	40		$1.0 million
April 10	4:04 AM CDT	EF1	Collin, TX	7.2	175		$12 million
April 10	4:05 AM CDT	EF0	Bell, TX	6.4	100		$500,000
April 10	4:29 AM CDT	EF1	Sharp, AR	1.0	200		$10,000
April 10	4:56 AM CDT	EF0	Sequoyah, OK	2.0	150
April 10	5:15 AM CDT	EF2	Adair, OK	2.8	300		$100,000
April 10	5:50 AM CDT	EF2	Washington, AR	3.0	600		$125,000
April 10	6:02 AM CDT	EF1	Madison, AR	0.8	200		$10,000
April 10	6:20 AM CDT	EF1	Madison, AR	10.7	900		$100,000
April 10	7:55 AM CDT	EF0	Douglas, MO	0.3	75		$40,000
April 10	8:12 AM CDT	EF2	Bowie, TX	5.5	200	1	$1.0 million
April 10	8:15 AM CDT	EF0	Howell, MO	3.3	150
April 10	10:56 AM CDT	EF1	Grant, AR	15.1	175		$30,000
April 10	4:33 PM CDT	EF0	Wayne, IA	0.6	20
April 10	4:49 PM CDT	EF0	Wayne, IA	0.4	20
April 10	4:57 PM CDT	EF1	Appanoose, IA	2.0	30		$75,000
April 10	5:10 PM CDT	EF1	Appanoose, IA	2.9	50		$75,000
April 10	5:43 PM CDT	EF1	Mahaska, IA	3.0	50		$100,000
April 10	5:55 PM CDT	EF0	Adams, IL	9.1	50
April 10	6:16 PM CDT	EF2	Van Buren, IA	1.8	220		$150,000
April 10	6:21 PM CDT	EF1	Poweshiek, IA	7.6	50		$100,000
April 10	6:25 PM CDT	EF1	Van Buren, IA	5.3	50		$30,000
April 10	6:30 PM CDT	EF1	Hancock, IL	1.6	150		$100,000
April 10	6:33 PM CDT	EF0	Hancock, IL	0.2	50		$20,000
April 10	6:35 PM CDT	EF0	Hancock, IL	0.8	75		$30,000
April 10	6:36 PM CDT	EF0	Poweshiek, IA	2.4	25		$50,000
April 10	7:03 PM CDT	EF0	Keokuk, IA	1.8	100		$50,000
April 10	7:05 PM CDT	EF0	Keokuk, IA	0.0	25
April 10	8:30 PM CDT	EF0	Buchanan, MO	0.3	30		$70,000

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.